


Blue Night

by Ari_0210



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reapertale (Undertale), F/M, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reader Is Not Chara (Undertale), Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Reapertale - Freeform, Slow Burn, but the fic may be too short to be called slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-28 11:50:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20966108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ari_0210/pseuds/Ari_0210
Summary: They say that those who are loved by god live an unhappy life.Partly based on Renrink's Reapertale AU on Tumblr.





	Blue Night

[recommended!](https://youtu.be/opsontGP05E)

There was no other word that could describe you better than 'ordinary'. Even at a young age you knew yourself too well to say otherwise. Your looks were average, you did not show exceptional talent and did not hopelessly fail anything. You didn't cry or make a fuss about things. But it wasn't that you disliked it. On the contrary, you preferred being normal to standing out. It never put you in situations that you didn't want to find yourself in. Or so it was... until you realized it was too late.

The first time you saw him you were around four or five. On your way home from a supermarket in your mother's arms, you saw the shadow under a tree suddenly move as if it had a life on its own. It caught your attention. The sun was radiant and the tree was big enough to cast a shadow that could hide a bear. There could be anything lurking there. You wanted to run to it and check whatever was hiding, but you did not want to bother your mother so you kept a close eye on the shade instead. Soon you had an odd sensation that it was watching you as well. But as your mother asked what you wanted for dinner, you blinked, and it was gone. You could swear you saw a flash of bright blue before it disappeared. You told your mother about it during supper, but she simply commented that it must have been a stray cat. But what about that blue light? Maybe it was a car passing by. We heard one honking nearby, remember? That had you convinced. At night in your dreams you saw that same shade of blue flash before your eyes, but by the time you woke up you did not remember any of it, even the fact that you saw the shadow the day before. Perhaps it was too trivial for a child like you to think about.

The next encounter was not until a few years afterwards, under that same tree, although it was much later that you learned it was the same person. You liked the huge shade the tree cast during summer, so you always made sure to take the route that passed by the tree. The heat was almost sweltering, there were very few people outside. You didn't want to enjoy _this_ kind of sunlight either; you wanted nothing more than to get back home and take a cold shower, so you quickened your steps, holding an ice cream in your hand. You stopped abruptly when you reached the tree. It was typical to spot a couple of people taking a rest, but today, it was just one. One that was... wearing a long black cloak? You hesitated and wondered if you should ignore the person, but curiosity got the better of you. You deliberately approached them and examined. It really was a long cloak that covered every inch of their body, even their hands and feet were covered. They had the hood pulled up so that their face was completely hidden in the shadows. That's bizarre. You usually didn't see this type of outfit in this weather. You couldn't but ask the person.

"Is it less hotter like that?"

The cloaked person barely acknowledged your question. Did they not notice you were here? You cleared your throat and tried to pull at their sleeves. You would have tried to tap their shoulders, but unfortunately, you were too short. When you reached out your hand, however, they suddenly lifted their arms up so the sleeves were unreachable. Well, isn't that rude, you thought.

"careful, kiddo. your parents might not want _death_ on their hands."

The comment seemed too out of place that you gave up attempting to register their words. _His_ words, as the voice sounded too deep to be mistaken for a female's. You weren't about to give up on your first question, though, so you asked again.

"Isn't it hot when you wear something like that?"

The hooded figure turned his head towards you. What you saw inside the hood was pitch black, almost as if there was no face at all. But that's absurd, everyone needs a face to live. It still kind of scared you but you pretended not to be. He seemed to be observing you for a minute. You thought you could see two small specks of white light underneath the hood.

"so you _were_ talking to me. you can see me?"

You raised an eyebrow. It was a habit of your mother's when you asked her weird questions.

"Obviously. Everyone can see everyone, you know."

"not really, but sure."

He shrugged (but it was clear he did not buy it), then let out a low chuckle.

"as much as it's great that you find me _hot_, i'm not _hot_ in that sense. does that answer your question?"

It took you a minute to understand, and then you blushed.

"That's not what I―"

"heh, that's what they say."

"But I didn't say you were hot, I said _isn't it_―"

"same difference, don'tcha think?"

You glared at him. What a childish argument! (But then, you were a child.) Not five minutes of striking up a conversation with this guy and already he was irritating you more than anyone else in the world. You turned your back on him coyly and walked away. You heard him chuckle again.

"well, see ya never, kid."

You scowled at the half melted ice cream. Somehow, you had the nagging sense that this would not be the end of him.

* * *

The next day, you regretted not making more snappy comments at him. You shouldn't have gone home like that! He must have thought that he won. You decided that you would see the end of it today, and the day couldn't end soon enough. After the bus dropped you off, you practically ran towards the tree. When you got there, however, he wasn't there. You felt yourself becoming disappointed. Maybe you came too early? You crouched under the tree, curling yourself into a small ball. You'll be generous and wait only for a little while. The air felt warm in the shadows and the cicadas were singing loudly. The fleeting breeze that brushed against your hair made a poor attempt at drying off your beads of sweat. You took out your sketchbook from your bag and started doodling a picture of you and your mother holding hands. You added a smiling sun and swaying flowers, and your cozy little home. You drew your kindergarten teacher and friends. He didn't come even after the drawing was finished. You put the sketchbook away and stood up. Your mom would be worried if she doesn't get a call from you soon.

You didn't find him the day after, or the day after. In a few weeks it almost became a habit to just sit under the tree and stay for a minute. You didn't know why you were doing this. If you knew better, you would have been glad to not see him again. But you weren't. Which you found strange, as there was nothing pleasant during your last conversation with him. You'd tried walking around covered in your Halloween witch cape in broad daylight, but cast it away immediately. It was scorching in that! He must have lied to you. Though... it didn't actually look like he was lying. It doesn't matter, though, does it, you thought as you mindlessly walked home. Arguing with him didn't appeal to you anymore; you weren't the type to hold grudges for too long. Your feet stopped abruptly when you saw a hooded person standing in the shade. While he was gone you'd come up with many comments to make, but right now it all seemed meaningless. Quietly you approached the tree and sat at your usual spot. You heard him rustling a little.

"Hi, Mr. hood man."

He was silent for a moment. It was so difficult to talk to someone who didn't speak much and whose face you could not see. Conversations were better when you could look at people's expressions.

"you can still see me?"

You sighed under your breath and wondered why it was that you shouldn't be able to.

"I have eyes, you know. Just because you're hiding in the shadows in black clothes doesn't mean people can't see you."

He let out a short laugh. "heh. makes sense."

Then he went quiet again. You lifted up your eyes. His hood was turned towards you, so you supposed he was looking at you. Observing again, possibly. You stared back at him. Even this close, you couldn't see his face, but the white lights were more visible. Perhaps they were his eyes. Why were they emitting light like that? He was the first to break off eye contact.

"that's odd, it's not time for me to..."

You heard him mutter something, but it was barely audible so you supposed it wasn't for you. Then Mr. hood man made a shooing gesture at you.

"go play somewhere else, kiddo."

"Why? This is my spot."

You frowned at him.

He shrugged. "true enough. well, then, if you'll excuse me..."

He sounded like he was about to leave, so you reflexively reached out your hand. He dodged it again by raising his arms high in the air. You clenched your stretched out hand into a fist awkwardly, grabbing at nothing.

"No, stay. I wasn't chasing you away."

He paused, hesitating, then reclaimed his original position. Standing as still as a mannequin. Did he even breathe? How long had he been standing here anyway? Was he waiting for someone? Something? His voice interrupted your trail of thoughts.

"but really, kid. you shouldn't hang out around me."

That made you wonder if he was avoiding you. He certainly was averting your touch. Were your hands unclean? But the way he worded his sentence made it seem like it was he who shouldn't be approached. You asked, naturally.

"Why?"

He shrugged. He sure liked that gesture.

"beings like you and i don't go together."

You frowned again. You had no idea what that was supposed to mean.

"What are you talking about?"

"eh, you don't need to understand. just take my advice and try not to talk to me next time."

The crease between your brows deepened. As you were about to demand an explanation, though, your phone began to ring. You took it out to see who was calling― it was from one of your friends. You looked up at the guy one last time.

"Will you be here tomorrow?"

Mr. hood man sighed in minor frustration.

"did you hear what i just said? it's for your own sake, kid."

You took that as a 'I'm not answering your question,' so you shrugged it off and picked up the phone while turning away from him and heading home once more. Not saying goodbye was your small revenge. If you didn't see him tomorrow, you could wait for next time. You were good at waiting.

* * *

It was only three days later, after the weekend, that you got to meet him again. As usual, he was standing under the big tree. You were starting to suspect that he was some kind of a guardian of that tree. Then again, he felt too gloomy to be fit for the role. But then _again_, you were always told to not judge a book by its cover so there was still a possibility. You waved a hand at him.

"Hi, Mr. hood man."

You heard him groaning.

"must you keep calling me that?"

"Well, I don't know your name, so."

You looked at him expectantly. If he doesn't like the title, then he should suggest an alternative for you. He seemed to notice the look in your eyes and sighed. He must find you annoying― which, in fact, you didn't quite care about.

"just...... call me reaper."

"Cool, I'm... um, is that your real name?"

You scrunched up your face. That was a lame name for a parent to give to their child.

"not really, but it's not a fake one. they call me reaper."

"Who's 'they'?"

"no comment."

God, it was really hard trying to get proper information out of this guy. Maybe he just didn't want to tell you his real name at all. Well, if there was some secret story behind it, you wouldn't pry. You let it go and introduced yourself instead. He nodded slightly in acknowledgement. You then checked your phone― there was still some time before the sunset.

"Do you wanna come with me to the playground, Reaper?"

A long silence returned from him. You wondered if he was confused or contemplating.

"no thanks. i'm busy, you see."

Sure you were, you thought. He seemed _very_ preoccupied in lurking in the dark shadows and not doing anything.

"Well, if you change your mind, there's one just around that corner."

You picked up your bag and marched to the playground. You wondered if he was following you. On arriving, you went straight for the swing and sat on it. You could play tag and hide-and-seek with kids you didn't know, but it felt embarrassing to ask them to push the swing for you. You rolled your feet and swung lightly back and forth. Suddenly, you felt something push behind you. You glanced back― Reaper was there, watching you from a distance with his arms crossed. It was bizarre to see him standing in the sunlight. But if he was over there, who was pushing you? Yet somehow, it made sense that this should happen. When you got tired of playing on the swing, you got off and sat on the ground to start building a sandcastle. You were rather hoping he'd help you with this too, but Reaper didn't move from where he stood. You decided that it couldn't be helped and started building it alone. The weather was so dry today and so was the sand, which made it difficult to keep the shape together. But you were a determined child. A few kids watched you form the castle, and some even asked to join, but you refused. Finally you managed to finish the castle and you were very proud of yourself, you couldn't wait to show it off. When you raised your head with a big smile, he wasn't there anymore.

* * *

Instead of staying by the tree, going to the playground became part of your daily weekday routine. Granted, sitting in the shade was much cooler than playing out in the sun. But you weirdly felt obliged to make Reaper receive more sunlight, because maybe the reason he always sounded so unenthusiastic was because he stayed in the dark for too long. Anyway, you liked hanging out around him. It might seem strange, but the temperature around him felt about five degrees lower than the rest of the surroundings. After a while, it became natural for him to follow you to the playground too. It was not very often that he was there at all, but on days that you saw him, he tagged along with you. Did that make you his friend? Did he consider you as his friend, or was there something else you had to do? You felt like just making him watch was insufficient. But it was so challenging to make him engage in anything.

Today was one of those days where he was spending time with you. You glanced at Reaper. He was sitting on a nearby bench, his chin resting on one of his hands (but sleeves was more like it). It looked like he could be dozing off. Forgetting that he didn't like to be touched, you reached out your hand. Smoothly, he evaded it.

"you really shouldn't touch me, you know."

His voice sounded somewhat amused. But you couldn't help feeling a little hurt.

"Is it because of the sand? I just wiped it off..."

"kid, some dirt won't bother me. it's not that."

"Then why? Is it bad?"

He stopped talking for a moment, as if he was hesitating about something. You'd thought he would just brush it off like any other day, but it felt different. You gulped at the odd tension in the air.

"'bad' is an understatement."

Slowly, he stood up and walked to a nearby bush which had bright red flowers in full bloom. You saw him reach out for the bush. His hands were revealed from under the long black sleeves― white, bony hands, looking just like human skeleton hands. Your eyes widened. As soon as his hands made contact with the bush, the entire bush wilted in an instant, the flowers losing their once vivid color and snapping, falling to the ground, as if they had never been alive in the first place.

"i kill things just by touching 'em."

You didn't know what to say to that. You didn't even know what you were thinking right now. Reaper chuckled at your expression.

"scary, huh? can't say i didn't warn ya."

You wanted to argue that you were not scared, but honestly you weren't sure. After taking time to collect your thoughts, you asked the lingering question.

"Why did you agree when I asked you to hang out with me?"

This seemed to have caught him by surprise. Perhaps he had been waiting for you to cry and run away. You might have, too, if he'd showed you on the first meeting. In fact, any normal, sensible kid still might have. You were just starting to learn that you could actually be quite abnormal in some situations. Reaper said nothing in return.

"Did you want to kill me, too?"

"no."

His answer was instant. You breathed an inward sigh of relief.

"Then I'm not scared of you. You're not a bad person, Reaper."

The silence that came back was longer than ever. You wished now, more than ever, that you would be able to see his face. But then, you knew that what was hidden underneath that hood wasn't what you had been expecting all along and it just might scare you off for good. Nevertheless, you wanted to regard what sentiment his face revealed. All you were allowed to see right now were the two dim white lights that flickered like the stars at daybreak. When he opened his mouth again, his words were full of emotion that you could not detect.

"i wouldn't be sure if i were you, pal."

And then with a blue flash he disappeared, leaving nothing but the withered flowers behind.

You couldn't see him for a very long time.

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a short story, consisting about three or four chapters. I have all the outlines written out but I have no idea when the next chapter will be coming out, I'm a super slow writer!  
Reader's gender is of little importance so they can be any, but I personally identify them as female.


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